Buddhist Writings.
The Harvard Classics. 1909–14.
The Attainment of Buddhaship
Translated from the Introduction to the J
taka (i. 685)
a girl named Sujt, who had been born in the family of the householder Senni, in General’s Town. On reaching maturity she made a prayer to a certain banyan-tree, saying, “If I get a husband of equal rank with myself, and my first-born is a son, I will make a yearly offering to you of the value of a hundred thousand pieces of money.” And her prayer had been successful.
And wishing to make her offering on the day of full moon of the month Viskh, full six years after the Great Being commenced his austerities, she first pastured a thousand cows in Latthimadhu Wood, and fed their milk to five hundred cows, and the milk of these five hundred cows to two hundred and fifty, and so on down to feeding the milk of sixteen cows to eight. This “working the milk in and in,” as it is called, was done to increase the thickness and the sweetness and the strength-giving properties of the milk. And when it came to be the full-moon day of Viskh, she resolved to make her offering, and rose up early in the morning, just when night was breaking into day, and gave orders to milk the eight cows. The calves had not come at the teats of the cows; yet as soon as new pails were put under the udders, the milk flowed in streams of its own accord. When she saw this miracle, Sujt took the milk with her own hands and placed it in a new vessel, and herself made a fire and began to cook it. While the milk-rice was cooking, immense bubbles arose, and turning to the right, went round together; but not a single drop ran over the edge, and not a particle of smoke went up from the fireplace. On this occasion the four guardian angels were present, and stood guard over the fireplace; Mah-Brahma bore aloft the canopy of state, and Sakka raked the firebrands
When Sujt had seen so many miracles appear to her in one day, she said to her slave-girl Punn,—
“Punn, dear girl, the deity is very graciously disposed to us to-day. I have never before seen so many marvellous things happen in so short a time. Run quickly, and get everything ready at the holy place.”
“Yes, my lady,” replied the slave-girl, and ran in great haste to the foot of the tree.
Now that night the Future Buddha had five great dreams, and on considering their meaning reached the conclusion, “Without doubt I shall become a Buddha this very day.” And when night was over, and he had cared for his person, he came early in the morning to that tree, to await the hour to go begging. And when he sat down he illumined the whole tree with his radiance.
Then came Punn, and saw the Future Buddha sitting at the foot of the tree, contemplating the eastern quarter of the world. And when she beheld the radiance from his body lighting up the whole tree with a golden color, she became greatly excited, saying to herself, “Our deity, methinks, has come down from the tree to-day, and has seated himself, ready to receive our offering in person.” And she ran in great haste, and told Sujt of the matter.
When Sujt heard this news, she was overjoyed; and saying, “From this day forth be to me in the room of an eldest daughter,” she decked Punn with all the ornaments appropriate to that position. And since a Future Buddha on the day he attains the Buddha-ship must needs receive a golden dish worth a hundred thousand pieces of money, therefore the idea occurred to her of putting the milk-rice in a golden dish. And bringing out a golden dish that 
kra, the Mah-Brahma god, at that instant disappeared; and the Future Buddha, stretching out his right hand in an attempt to find his bowl, grasped the vase of water. Next Sujt placed the dish of milk-rice in the hand of the Great Being. Then the Great Being looked at Sujt and she perceived that he was a holy man, and did obeisance, and said,—
“Lord, accept my donation, and go whithersoever it seemeth to you good.” And adding, “May your wishes prosper like mine own,” she departed, caring no more for her golden dish worth a hundred thousand pieces of money than if it had been a dead leaf.
The Future Buddha rose from his seat and walked round the tree with his right side towards it; and taking the dish, he proceeded to the banks of the Neran˜jar and descended into its waters, just as many thousands of Future Buddhas before him had descended on the day of their complete enlightenment.—The spot where he bathed is now a place of pilgrimage named Suppatitthita, and here he deposited the dish on the bank before descending into the water. had been the dress of many hundreds of thousands of Future Buddhas before him; and sitting down with his face to the east, he made the whole of the thick, sweet milk-rice into forty-nine pellets of the size of the fruit of the single-seeded palmyra-tree, and ate it. And he took no further nourishment until the end of the seven weeks, or forty-nine days, which he spent on the throne of wisdom
Now when he had consumed the milk-rice, he took the golden dish; and saying, “If I am to succeed in becoming a Buddha to-day, let this dish go up-stream; but if not, let it go down-stream,” he threw it into the water. And it swam, cleaving the stream, until it came to the middle of the river, and then, like a fleet horse, it ran up-stream for a distance of eighty cubits, keeping all the while in the middle of the stream. Then it dived into a whirlpool and went to the palace of the black snake-king, and hit, “click! click!” against the dishes that had been used by the last three Buddhas, and took its place at the end of the row. When the black snake-king heard the noise, he exclaimed,—
Then the Future Buddha took his noonday rest on the banks of the river, in a grove of sal-trees in full bloom. And at nightfall, at the time the flowers droop on their stalks, he rose up, like a lion when he bestirs himself, and went towards the Bo-tree, along a road which the gods had decked, and which was eight usabhas wide.
The snakes, the fairies, the birds, and other classes of beings did him homage with celestial perfumes, flowers, and other offerings, and celestial choruses poured forth heavenly music; so that the ten thousand worlds were filled with these perfumes, garlands, and shouts of acclaim.
Just then there came from the opposite direction a grass-cutter named Sotthiya, and he was carrying grass. And when he saw the Great Being, that he was a holy man, he gave him eight handfuls of grass. The Future Buddha took the grass, and ascending the ci hell, while the northern half rose to the highest of the heavens.
“Methinks,” said the Future Buddha, “this cannot be the place for the attainment of the supreme wisdom;” and walking round the tree with his right side towards it, he came to the western side and faced the east. Then the western half of the world sank, until it seemed to touch the Avci hell, while the eastern half rose to the highest of the heavens. Wherever, indeed, he stood, the broad earth rose and fell, as though it had been a huge cart-wheel lying on its hub, and some one were treading on the rim.
“Methinks,” said the Future Buddha, “this also cannot be the place for the attainment of supreme wisdom;” and walking round the tree with his right side towards it, he came to the northern side and faced the south. Then the northern half of the world sank, until it seemed to touch the Avci hell, while the southern half rose to the highest of the heavens.
“Methinks,” said the Future Buddha, “this also cannot be the place for the attainment of supreme wisdom;” and walking round the tree with his right side towards it, he came to the eastern side and faced the west. Now it is on the eastern side of their Bo-trees that all The Buddhas have sat cross-legged, and that side neither trembles nor quakes.
Then the Great Being, saying to himself, “This is the immovable spot on which all The Buddhas have planted themselves! This is the place for destroying passion’s net!” took hold of his handful of grass by one end, and shook it out there. And straightway the blades of grass formed themselves into a seat fourteen cubits long, of such symmetry of shape as not even the most skilful painter or carver could design.
Then the Future Buddha turned his back to the trunk of the Botree and faced the east. And making the mighty resolution, “Let my skin, and sinews, and bones become dry, and welcome! and let all the flesh and blood in my body dry up! but never from this seat will I stir, until I have attained the supreme and absolute wisdom!” he sat himself down cross-legged in an unconquerable position,
At this point the god Mra, exclaiming, “Prince Siddhattha is desirous of passing beyond my control, but I will never allow it!” went and announced the news to his army, and sounding the Mra war-cry, drew out for battle. Now Mra’s army extended in front of him for twelve leagues, and to the right and to the left for twelve leagues, and in the rear as far as to the confines of the world, and it was nine leagues high. And when it shouted, it made an earth-quake-like roaring and rumbling over a space of a thousand leagues. And the god Mra, mounting his elephant, which was a hundred and fifty leagues high, and had the name “Girded-with-mountains,” caused a thousand arms to appear on his body, and with these he grasped a variety of weapons. Also in the remainder of that army, no two persons carried the same weapon; and diverse also in their appearances and countenances, the host swept on like a flood to overwhelm the Great Being.
Now deities throughout ten thousand worlds were busy singing the praises of the Great Being. Sakka, the king of the gods, was blowing the conch-shell Vijayuttara. (This conch, they say, was a hundred and twenty cubits long, and when once it had been filled with wind, it would sound for your months before it stopped.) The great black snake-king sang more than a hundred laudatory verses. And Mahra’s army gradually drew near to the throne of wisdom, not one of these gods was able to stand his ground, but each fled straight before him. The black snake-king dived into the ground, and coming to the snake-abode, Man˜jerika, which was five hundred leagues in extent, he covered his face with both hands and lay down. Sakka slung his conch-shell Vijayuttara over his back, and took up his position on the rim of the world. Mah-Brahma left the white umbrella at the end of the world, and fled to his Brahma-abode. Not a single diety was able to stand his ground, and the Great Being was left sitting alone.
Then said Mra to his followers,—
“My friends, Siddhattha, the son of Suddhodana, is far greater
All the gods had now disappeared, and the Great Being looked around on three sides, and said to himself, “There is no one here.” Then looking to the north, he perceived Mra’s army coming on like a flood, and said,—
“Here is this multitude exerting all their strength and power against me alone. My mother and father are not here, nor my brother, nor any other relative. But I have these Ten Perfections, like old retainers long cherished at my board. It therefore behooves me to make the Ten Perfections my shield and my sword, and to strike a blow with them that shall destroy this strong array.” And he remained sitting, and reflected on the Ten Perfections.
Thereupon the god Mra caused a whirlwind, thinking, “By this will I drive away Siddhattha.” Straightway the east wind and all the other different winds began to blow; but although these winds could have torn their way through mountain-peaks half a league, or two leagues, or three leagues high, or have uprooted forest-shrubs and trees, or have reduced to powder and scattered in all directions, villages and towns, yet when they reached the Future Buddha, such was the energy of the Great Being’s merit, they lost all power and were not able to cause so much as a fluttering of the edge of his priestly robe.
Then he caused a great rain-storm, saying, “With water will I overwhelm and drown him.” And through his mighty power, clouds of a hundred strata, and clouds of a thousand strata arose, and also the other different kinds. And these rained down, until the earth became gullied by the torrents of water which fell, and until the floods had risen over the tops of every forest-tree. But on coming to the Great Being, this mighty inundation was not able to wet his priestly robes as much as a dew-drop would have done.
Then he caused a shower of rocks, in which immense mountainpeaks flew smoking and flaming through the sky. But on reaching the Future Buddha they became celestial bouquets of flowers.
Then he caused a shower of weapons, in which single-edged, and double-edged swords, spears, and arrows flew smoking and flaming
Then he caused a shower of live coals, in which live coals as red as kimsuka flowers flew through the sky. But they scattered themselves at the Future Buddha’s feet as a shower of celestial flowers.
Then he caused a shower of hot ashes, in which ashes that glowed like fire flew through the sky. But they fell at the Future Buddha’s feet as sandal-wood powder.
Then he caused a shower of sand, in which very fine sand flew smoking and flaming through the sky. But it fell at the Future Buddha’s feet as celestial flowers.
Then he caused a shower of mud, in which mud flew smoking and flaming through the sky. But it fell at the Future Buddha’s feet as celestial ointment.
Then he caused a darkness, thinking, “By this will I frighten Siddhattha, and drive him away.” And the darkness became four fold, and very dense. But on reaching the Future Buddha it disappeared like darkness before the light of the sun.
Mra, being thus unable with these nine storms of wind, rain, rocks, weapons, live coals, hot ashes, sand, mud, and darkness, to drive away the Future Buddha, gave command to his followers, “Look ye now! Why stand ye still? Seize, kill, drive away this prince!” And, arming himself with a discus, and seated upon the shoulders of the elephant “Girded-with-mountains,” he drew near the Future Buddha, and said,—
“Siddhattha, arise from this seat! It does not belong to you, but to me.”
When the Great Being heard this he said,—
“Mra, you have not fulfilled the Ten Perfections in any of their three grades; nor have you made the five great donations; nor have you striven for knowledge, nor for the welfare of the world, nor for enlightenment. This seat does not belong to you, but to me.”
Unable to restrain his fury, the enraged Mra now hurled his ra hurled it in anger, would cut through solid stone pillars as if they had been the tips of bamboo shoots. But on this occasion it became a canopy of flowers. Then the followers of Mra began hurling immense mountain-crags, saying, “This will make him get up from his seat and flee.” But the Great Being kept his thoughts on the Ten Perfections, and the crags also became wreaths of flowers, and then fell to the ground.
Now the gods meanwhile were standing on the rim of the world, and craning their necks to look, saying,—
“Ah, woe the day! The handsome form of prince Siddhattha will surely be destroyed! What will he do to save himself?”
Then the Great Being, after his assertion that the seat which Future Buddhas had always used on the day of their complete enlightenment belonged to him, continued, and said,—
“Mra, who is witness to your having given donations?”
Said Mra, “All these, as many as you see here, are my witnesses;” and he stretched out his hand in the direction of his army. And instantly from Mra’s army came a roar, “I am his witness! I am his witness!” which was like to the roar of an earthquake.
Then said Mra to the Great Being,—
“Siddhattha, who is witness to your having given donations?”
“Your witnesses,” replied the Great Being, “are animate beings, and I have no animate witnesses present. However, not to mention the donations which I gave in other existences, the great sevenhundred-fold donation which I gave in my Vessantara existence shall now be testified to by the solid earth, inanimate though she be.” And drawing forth his right hand from beneath his priestly robe, he streched it out towards the mighty earth, and said, “Are you witness, or are you not, to my having given a great seven-hundred-fold donation in my Vessantara existence?”
And the mighty earth thundered, “I bear you witness!” with a hundred, a thousand, a hundred thousand roars, as if to overwhelm the army of Mra.
Now while the Great Being was thus calling to mind the donation ra fled away in all directions. No two went the same way, but leaving their head-ornaments and their cloaks behind, they fled straight before them.
Then the hosts of the gods, when they saw the army of Mra flee, cried out, “Mra is defeated! Prince Siddhattha has conquered! Let us go celebrate the victory!” And the snakes egging on the snakes, the birds the birds, the deities the deities, and the Brahmaangels the Brahma-angels, they came with perfumes, garlands, and other offerings in their hands to the Great Being on the throne of wisdom. And as they came,—
And the remaining deities, also, throughout the ten thousand worlds, made offerings of garlands, perfumes, and ointments, and in many a hymn extolled him.
It was before the sun had set that the Great Being thus vanquished the army of Mra. And then, while the Bo-tree in homage rained
Now while he was musing on the twelve terms of Dependent Origination, forwards and backwards, round and back again, the ten thousand worlds quaked twelve times, as far as to their ocean boundaries. And when the Great Being, at the dawning of the day, had thus made the ten thousand worlds thunder with his attainment of omniscience, all these worlds became most gloriously adorned. Flags and banners erected on the eastern rim of the world let their streamers fly to the western rim of the world; likewise those erected on the western rim of the world, to the eastern rim of the world; those erected on the northern rim of the world, to the southern rim of the world; and those erected on the southern rim of the world, to the northern rim of the world; while those erected on the level of the earth let theirs fly until they beat against the Brahma-world; and those of the Brahma-world let theirs hang down to the level of the earth. Throughout the ten thousand worlds the flowering trees bloomed; the fruit trees were weighted down by their burden of fruit; trunk-lotuses bloomed on the trunks of trees; branch-lotuses on the branches of trees; vine-lotuses on the vines; hanging-lotuses in the sky; and stalk-lotuses burst through the rocks and came up by sevens. The system of ten thousand worlds was like a bouquet of flowers sent whirling through the air, or like a thick carpet of flowers; in the intermundane spaces the eight-thousand-league-longhells, which not even the light of seven suns had formerly been able to illumine, were now flooded with radiance; the eighty-four-thousand-league-deep ocean became sweet to the taste; the rivers checked their flowing; the blind from birth received their sight; the deaf from birth their hearing; the cripples from birth the use of their limbs; and the bonds and fetters of captives broke and fell off.
When thus he had attained to omniscience, and was the centre of such unparalleled glory and homage, and so many prodigies were happening about him, he breathed forth that solemn utterance which has never been omitted by any of The Buddhas:—
The period of time, therefore, from the existence in the Tusita Heaven to this attainment of omniscience on the throne of wisdom, constitutes the Intermediate Epoch.